1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing an adsorbent, an adsorbent, and an adsorption apparatus, and more specifically to a method for producing an adsorbent, an adsorbent produced by such a production method, and an adsorption apparatus produced by using the adsorbent.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hydroxyapatite has excellent biocompatibility, and has been heretofore widely used as an adsorbent in a column (that is, in an adsorption apparatus) for liquid chromatography to adsorb and separate a protein etc.
However, such an adsorbent made of hydroxyapatite is poor in stability toward a liquid such as an eluant (solvent resistance) and strength, which causes a problem that clogging of a column for liquid chromatography occurs at an early stage due to, for example, disintegration of the adsorbent (that is, such a column for liquid chromatography shows poor reproducibility in adsorbing and separating a protein etc).
From the viewpoint of improving the reproducibility of a column for liquid chromatography, there is proposed an adsorbent obtained by substituting Ca and OH groups of hydroxyapatite by another metal element and F, respectively, and then subjecting the substituted hydroxyapatite to heat treatment (more specifically, at 800° C.) (see, for example, JP-A-10-153589).
However, it cannot be said that the reproducibility of the adsorbent disclosed in JP-A-10-153589 has already been satisfactorily improved. The adsorbent leaves room for improvement, and actually there is still demand for development of an adsorbent more superior in reproducibility.